The clock is ticking – and not in a good way – for traditional music stations. Over the previous decades, music formats have surrendered strategic hills to keep their music position alive and top-of-mind. Adult Contemporary, as an example, was once a full-service offering with long-tenured morning teams and a solid morning drive news and information platform.
However, consultants and researchers peeled away a good portion of the spoken-word content from music formats to solely focus on the music position. That audio content was the glue for the listener but was sacrificed for the good of branding.
This might all seem obvious to the reader, and some might feel the ship for adding new funds to rescue a format has already sailed. Add to that the exponential rise of digital media and ever-changing listener habits, and all music stations face huge challenges in attracting new ears and retaining current audiences.
Mostly found in smaller markets, one strategy that music stations are adopting is to invest in spoken-word elements in programming. Small-market daily newspapers are nearly extinct. Our clients have intentionally added custom local news and sports in ALL dayparts, along with other spoken-word benchmarks including artist interviews, behind-the-scenes stories about songs, and opinion pieces that are unique and valuable to certain listeners.
Nielsen Numbers Don’t Lie: Radio Audiences Are Shrinking
Music brand evolution is urgent in the face of rapidly declining ratings. Nielsen’s Audio Today report for 2020 (also Covid-assisted which opened the door to at-home podcasting), radio’s weekly audience declined 11% in five years, and those who listen to radio primarily in-car shrank 16%.
Readers who have music brands in smaller markets already know much of the following. It’s the music brands in larger markets that need to set aside traditional research and walk out on the branches.
Clusters that have taken the lead in adding non-music elements outside AM drive are having success with local top-of-the-hour news, at times followed by national news headlines.
High School Sports Is an Untapped Revenue Giant
Local high school sports is also a winner. Traditional football, basketball, and baseball lead the way. Today, girls’ volleyball is a sleeping revenue giant.
Artist vignettes have also demonstrated traction. Voiced by the late Nick Michaels, 97.1 The Drive in Chicago constructed compelling long-form stories behind-the-music that creates lean-forward radio.
A quick list of all sorts of music formats knee-deep in spoken-word audio inside their music brands:
How Portland’s KINK-FM Built Loyalty Streaming Can’t Touch
KINK-FM built their legendary reputation as an AAA music station. They galvanized listener loyalty by heavily investing in local personality, artist interviews, acoustic concerts, community engagement, and local event exposure. The station became known for sounding distinctly “Portland,” rather than simply functioning as a music jukebox. Its localism helped separate it from streaming competitors.
KYMN Northfield: The Hybrid Music-Information Model That Works
Located just outside the Minneapolis–St. Paul market, KYMN is a great example of a hybrid music-and-information station. In addition to their well-curated playlist, it also delivers extensive local news, weather, and community-focused programming, along with high school sports.
WLEN Adrian: Full-Service AC Done Right in a Small Market
The award-winning WLEN in Adrian, Michigan, is a solid example of a “full-service” Adult Contemporary brand. Music is core to the brand, but the station emphasizes local news, community event coverage, and local sports. The station describes itself as placing an “emphasis on local news, weather and sports,” while maintaining its live-local AC format.
We are no longer competing with in-market stations. The battle is waged inside an entire ecosystem of digital streaming platforms, podcasts, social media noise, and personalized audio services.
If radio as we know it continues to coast with a focus solely on a refined playlist, we risk becoming increasingly replicable — listener “wallpaper.” Brands that survive in the coming decade will be the ones that evolve now.
The addition of interesting spoken-word content inside music brands, local engaged personalities, and extensive community coverage with real human interaction are exactly the ingredients to create an environment that streaming algorithms cannot replicate.
The window to adapt is open — but it will not stay open forever.
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Kevin Robinson is a passionate award-winning programmer, consultant and coach – with multi-formats success all over the country. He has advised numerous companies including Audacy (formerly Entercom Communications), Beasley Broadcast Group, Westwood One, Midwest Communications, Townsquare Media, Midwest Family Broadcasting Group, EG Media Group, Federated Media, Kensington Media, mediaBrew Communications, Starved Rock Media, and more. He specializes in strategic radio cluster alignment, building lean-forward tactics and talent coaching – legacy and entry-level – personalities.
Known largely as a trusted talent coach, Kevin is the only personality mentor who’s coached three different morning shows on three different brands in the same major market to the #1 position. His efforts have been recognized by The World Wide Radio Summit, Radio & Records, NAB’s Marconi, and he has coached CMA, ACM and Marconi Award-winning talent. He is also in The Zionsville High School Hall of Fame as part of the 2008 inaugural class. Kevin is an Indiana native – living near Zionsville with his wife of 39 years, Monica and can be reached at kevin@robinsonmedia.fm.
